Elvis sighting! Roark rides the Presley wave

Sitting in rush hour is plenty of fun for James Roark, especially when he's blaring his favorite tune, "Jailhouse Rock" on the car stereo. As the local embodiment of Elvis Presley, Roark relishes the attention lavished on him– and on "Michelle," his 1958 Red Cadillac.

"It never fails to turn heads," says Elvis. "People love to blow their horns or to wave."

Dedicated to "being" Elvis, Roark appears to play his alter-ego whether he's washing dishes at Sweetbones or on the road for one of his occasional lip-synch gigs. He drives that sweet ride, doesn't mind donning jumpsuits, and of course he maintains the King's jet-black pompadour coiffeur complete with mutton chop sideburns.

Despite all this, Roark– soon to be a grandfather– has no plans to move to Graceland or Vegas. "I'd never leave Charlottesville. If you've spent any time here, you always come back," he says.

While Roark has been Charlottesville's #1 Elvis for about a decade, he admits that his love for the King started at a young age. "Before I had the looks, I had the moves," he modestly explains.

Being the King is not easy when you're living in an era of pop and hip-hop. "Seriously, is anything sacred?" asks Rourke, half in jest, adding incredulously, "I heard a different version of Kenny Roger's 'The Gambler' with some hip-hop guy." The add-in was the famous rapper Coolio, but Roark doesn't claim to be a music expert: "I try to stay on top of things," he says, "but it must just be a generation thing."

While Roark's admiration for the rock legend is a constant commitment, he isn't so wacky to believe that the King lives. The legend lasts, Roark says, "because Elvis is in the hearts of those who loved him."

Roark even goes so far as to evince a paternalistic interest in the King's offspring: "Lisa Marie is doing well by working on her music to straighten out," he says approvingly.

How can we forget the King, when we have Elvis James Rourke to remind us how much fun pretending can be? "I love Charlottesville because everybody seems to know of me," Roark confides. "My reputation precedes me."